Author Archives: Jason (Frugal Dad)

About Jason (Frugal Dad)

Jason founded FrugalDad.com in 2007, back when being frugal was still unpopular. My Google Profile+

How to Save Money on Your Wedding

Posted on by  at  5:00 am
11

Most people regard their wedding day as one of the most important and meaningful of their lives. Many also believe they have to spend a fortune to create a truly special wedding. Fortunately, it is possible to create an elegant and tasteful event on a budget, allowing you to apply the savings to a car purchase or down payment on a house instead.

Read on for some ideas that will help make your big day memorable without requiring you to spend a bundle.

Scheduling

Consider planning your wedding during off-peak months when vendors are more open to negotiation for expensive items such as catering fees and the reception site. Generally, the months of November, January, February and March see less wedding activity. Because Saturday is the most popular day for weddings, you may save money by marrying on a Friday or Sunday.

Venue

Charges for traditional wedding venues can be exorbitant. If you live in a large city, look outside the city limits for better deals. Think beyond the traditional country club or reception hall. Consider an art gallery, park, beach, bed and breakfast, civic garden or zoo. Remember that you may have to rent tables and flatware. Do your homework first to make sure a non-traditional venue is the most cost-effective option for you.

Officiant

Some budget-conscious couples ask a friend or relative to perform the ceremony, adding a special, personal touch to the wedding and saving $200 or $300 at the same time. Some churches offer online ordination, sending credentials by email. Your county clerk’s office or marriage license bureau can tell you whether such an officiant has the legal status to officiate a marriage in your state.

Invitations

Engraved invitations are elegant, but they are also very expensive. Creative do-it-yourselfers will save substantially by printing invitations from their own computers. A number of websites offer original ideas and instructions for making invitations. You might also consider ordering plain invitations and using a hole-punch and ribbon to decorate them. Your invitations will be more memorable for the personal touches you give them.

Wedding Dress

Avoid traditional bridal salons, and consider buying the wedding dress at a department store or outlet. Other ideas include finding a vintage gown you love, buying through a discount gown retailer or online auction site or saving hundreds of dollars by renting a gown. You can make the occasion more meaningful by wearing a gown belonging to a dear friend or family member. Shop for shoes to match your dress in the summer when regular shoe stores stock a selection of white footwear, allowing you to bypass expensive bridal shops.

Flowers

Choosing to wed in an art museum, garden or tastefully furnished home will save money on flowers because these venues already feature attractive decorations. Silk flowers are a cost-effective option for centerpieces and decorations. If you must have fresh flowers, use those that are in season, and buy them from a local wholesaler. Use blooms with larger heads because they give the impression of more flowers using fewer stems. Inexpensive filler, such as hydrangea leaves and ferns, will boost the visual impact of your arrangements.

Food

Food is one of the most expensive wedding items you will buy. Remember that buffets are cheaper than sit-down meals. Holding a daytime reception and serving a brunch or lunch will save you even more money, as will choosing food that is in season. You might consider a potluck-style meal for a small, intimate wedding, saving money on food, preparation and service.

Cake

Wedding cake specialists charge a great deal for their expertise, so look for cheaper suppliers. Get quotes from grocery store bakeries, which often offer considerable savings over traditional bakeries. Consider renting a show-cake for the cake table, and serve guests from inexpensive sheet cakes kept in the kitchen. There is nothing that says you have to serve cake if you prefer other desserts. Cheesecake, brownies and dessert buffets are always popular.

Photos

Photographs capture your wedding for posterity, so you want to make sure they are done well. Look among your friends and family for a talented amateur photographer. Consider hiring a photography student, but ask to see a portfolio first. If you do hire a professional, have the photographer take photos only at the ceremony, and let friends and relatives take care of the reception.

The Cost of Getting The Flu (Infographic)

Posted on by  at  11:28 am
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With flu season mostly behind us, this infographic assess the financial impact to individuals and the economy that results each year from the common virus. This latest infographic, “The Cost of Getting the Flu,” covers flu expenditures from the individual to the nation. Detailing the costs to an average person getting the flu, the cost to businesses each season, the costs to the US economy, and the potentially detrimental costs in the event of a massive flu pandemic, the graphic calls for more action in flu prevention and shows you what you can do to prepare and get better for less.

From an average annual $35 flu shot for individuals to a staggering $87.1 billion taken out of the US economy each year as a result of flu season, the costs covered by this graphic take the individual’s plight to the national level. “The Cost of Getting the Flu” shows how sick days add up, reducing the workforce and what kinds of financial consequences can result to businesses and the economy, most of which are rarely discussed during flu season.

As we wind down our worries about catching the flu, it’s worthwhile to remember that there are many measures that can be taken to reduce your risk of getting the flu next year, saving your health and money.

Let us know what you think in the comments below and as always, feel free to embed the graphic on your page and spread the knowledge around.

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Ways to Reduce Costs on Paper Products

Posted on by  at  5:00 am
7

Many people view paper products as essential household items. In truth, while paper products offer great convenience, their use harms the environment and depletes our pocketbooks.

If you have not thought much about your paper consumption, consider how many paper products you use during the course of a year and the amount of money you could save by cutting back.

Read on for some ways to cut down on paper product usage and boost your savings account.

Paper Towels

Paper towels are handy for quick clean-ups, particularly in the kitchen. They are often promoted as an effective way of eliminating the germs that grow in tradition cloth towels. Use a paper towel once, however, and it becomes just another piece of trash.

Try trading in your paper towels for traditional, easily laundered wash rags made from old T-shirts. Save paper towels for jobs that would render your wash rag unsuitable for laundering and reuse.

For glass cleaning, turn to dampened microfiber cloths, which effectively gather bacteria and dirt with their tiny fibers. These cloths possess the added benefit of not requiring the use of expensive, environmentally unsafe cleaners.

Facial Tissue

Handkerchiefs have fallen from fashion, and many people find the thought of using one distasteful. They are easily laundered, however, and soft cotton handkerchiefs are much kinder to red, raw noses than their paper counterparts.

Unlike tissues, a handkerchief will never leave messy bits of paper in your dryer when you forget to remove it from a pocket before laundering clothing. A good supply of handkerchiefs can be had for little expense, allowing you to replace each used handkerchief with a fresh one as needed.

Napkins

Use cloth napkins every day instead of saving them for special occasions. Cloth napkins are economical, durable and more absorbent than paper napkins. They take up little space in the washing machine and do not require laundering in hot water.

Barely used napkins can be kept at each family member’s place setting as they are in some European countries, cutting down on the need for washing.

Coffee Filters

Purchase reusable coffee filters, which are available for many coffee makers in muslin, cotton, hemp and metal versions. Some permanent mesh coffee filters cost only a few dollars and provide the benefit of extra sturdiness, meaning no more unwanted grounds spilling into your coffee.

Paper Plates

Paper plates offer convenience at a cost to your wallet and the environment. Take the extra time and effort to wash dishes instead of throwing your money away. For picnics and barbecues, reusable sturdy plastic plates are a better option than paper.

Do not make the mistake of buying flimsy plastic dishes, however. You will probably end up throwing them away, and they will not degrade in the landfill.

Writing or Printing Paper

Make a habit of hanging onto scratch paper consisting of incoming mail and printing mistakes. Keep this paper handy for quick notes and lists. Use both the front and back sides of any writing paper you use.

Before printing, proofread documents carefully, preview for formatting errors and print only the pages you need. Save on stamps, envelopes and mail clutter by signing up for e-statements and paying your bills online.

Wrapping Paper

Instead of spending money on gift wrap that will be viewed once and discarded, put your creativity to work and make use of cloth bags, stray scraps of fabric, planters, baskets, jars and cookie tins for gift-giving.

Old maps make a unique gift wrap that can be matched to the gift inside. You might use a marine chart to wrap a sailing-themed gift. The Sunday comic strips make colorful, fun wrapping paper for children’s gifts, and relatives will enjoy receiving gifts wrapped in kids’ artwork.

Toilet Paper

For those items most of us just cannot live without, such as toilet paper, buying in bulk makes sense. Surprisingly, bulk warehouses do not always offer the best deals.

Supermarket chains offer big savings on toilet paper, with most running sales twice a month. Discounts range anywhere from 20 to 40 percent. Look for two-for-one deals, and make use of the merchant ad circulars as well as manufacturer coupons from the Sunday newspaper.

The Case for Beer: Why You Should Enjoy it and Enjoy it Right (Infographic)

Posted on by  at  9:58 am
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There are times when learning a few key pieces of information about something can help you to maximize the value you get from it. For example, I always used to think beer was unequivocally at its best when served ice cold. However, I recently was surprised to learn that most experts say beers are best served a little bit warmer—between 40 and 55 degrees. Between these temperatures, the flavors and aromas that make the beer experience complete are preserved and protected.

Beer and wine both can be wholesome elements of a healthy lifestyle, but they can become decidedly unwholesome if drinking becomes excessive. Excessive drinking is not only detrimental to your health, it’s expensive, and can easily become a drain on your finances if you’re not careful. However, when enjoyed responsibly and in moderation, some studies are beginning to show that beer can be as heart healthy as wine, and bears some other potential health benefits as well. Read on to discover the case for responsible beer drinking, as well as some helpful tips on food pairing and optimal serving temperatures. In my opinion, if you slow down and enjoy it fully, at the right temperature and with some nicely complimentary food, you’ll be far less likely to enjoy it in excess, and far more likely then to reap the positive benefits of beer. Of course, you should always consult your doctor about what is most beneficial for your own health. Enjoy, I hope you find it informative.

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Emergency Room Dentists: The High Costs of Life or Death Dental Care (Infographic)

Posted on by  at  1:46 pm
11

It’s hard to believe but we seem to have forgotten about our teeth. We’ve been looking into the costs of America’s famously straight, white smiles. Instead of facts on cosmetic dentistry, we’ve come up with some troubling statistics on rapidly rising trend: emergency room dental visits. It turns out that dental care is suffering right along with general healthcare.

Our latest graphic explains the costs and causes of this overall decline in preventative care. Dental care is really an investment against future costs, but we can’t blame the uninsured for avoiding costly cleanings and checkups. It’s a costly gamble to forego dental insurance. Routine checkups at the ER will get astronomical fast, not to mention the terrifying costs behind contracting a serious dental disease or injury.

Going along with the infographic, it comes down to reform. Insurance-wise, it seems that dental costs need to be reduced in order for more employers to provide coverage. On an individual scale, it seems a more extensive dental hygiene regimen could really help Americans with or without insurance.

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